[Editor's note: This is a new series from Loot Ninja where we'll all be bringing you the origins of our online gamer ID's. Check back as we delve deeper into what makes each of our online personas.]
When we game, we tend to hide behind a certain degree of anonymity. With the advent of online multiplayer gaming, what’s in a name can often sum up everything we’re up against in another player. PumpkinHeadRex, my gamer ID, is an odd handle for sure. To understand the name, you have to understand the player.
Before I’m a gamer, before I’m a writer, I’m a horror filmmaker. Some of you may recognize Pumpkinhead as a low budget horror flick from 1988. Directed by Stan Winston and featuring his insane creature FX work, it starred professional badass Lance Henriksen, fresh off his duties in the legendary bloodsucker romp Near Dark. The other half, the one represented by that long-haired, toothy fella up there, is Rawhead Rex. Based on a lesser known work by Clive Barker, Barker’s disappointment in the finished product ultimately prompted his taking complete creative control of the now classic Hellraiser adaptation. As for Rawhead Rex … it’s aged well, what can I say? I think I’m won over by the sheer ballsiness of the urine baptism scene. Currently out of print, an official DVD (or even VHS) can run you a good chunk of change. On the other hand, Pumpkinhead just got a new Collector’s Edition DVD last year. Oh, and the name’s case sensitive, too. On video, Rawhead Rex was always written out as RawHeadRex, hence PumpkinHeadRex. Get it?
Now, does this mean I only play horror games? No. Not that I don’t like a good horror game, it’s just there are very few of them out there. I am looking forward to the new Wolfenstein and Castlevania. If either of them have good multiplayer, look for PumpkinHeadRex.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day was James Cameron’s wildly successful sequel to his 1984 tech-noir masterpiece The Terminator. Where that film was a clever stalk n’ slash starring ex-bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cyborg assassin from the future, T2 clearly had a more grandiose vision of its mythology. Defined in no small part by the visual assault of Stan Winston’s makeup FX and ILM’s pioneering use of then mind blowing CGI technology, T2 is bigger and badder than its predecessor in every way. Unfortunately, that includes the sheer tonnage of its seemingly endless home video releases. Like John Carpenter’s Halloween or Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness, T2 is just one of those flicks that, despite an umpteenth reissue, has a rabid enough fan base to ensure strong sales. This brings us to my big money purchase of the week, the limited edition six-disc T2 Complete Collector’s Set on Blu-ray, housed in a T-800 Endoskull bust that emanates movie sounds while its red eyes light up. If you’re a Terminator fan, how could pass that up?!
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Kristen Bell. If you’re like me, you were probably a huge Veronica Mars fan. While you’ve continued to mourn that show’s untimely passing, perhaps you caught Kristen in her co-starring role on the second and third seasons of NBC’s Heroes (as if Hayden Panettiere wasn’t already enough for one show). Fandom can further rejoice as Kristen now ups the ante, donning Princess Leia’s infamous gold bikini for the aptly titled comedy Fanboys, which apparently hit the big screen in some form of release earlier this year.
In any event, the flick sees a group of Star Wars geeks road trip to George Lucas’ sci-fi Xanadu, Skywalker Ranch, to snatch an early print of The Phantom Menace for their dying friend to take a sneak peak at. Yes, it’s a period piece, which means no easy access, pirated copies were making the rounds via torrent and thus no need for Hugh Jackman to have to smack a bitch. It’s just too bad the poor guy couldn’t hold out till Revenge of the Sith (or croaked right after Return of the Jedi and saved himself the embarassment … kidding, George). Anyway, it actually looks pretty promising in an irreverent, Kevin Smith sort of way. That and I had to accompany one of the hottest photos ever with some sort of an explanation, didn’t I? Gamers, many of whom just happen to be Star Wars fans themselves (hence this article’s inclusion on a gaming website), can pick up Fanboys as it hits SD DVD today with an as-yet-unconfirmed Blu-ray release to follow.
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